Riven
by Wonderfall
Summary: Harry missed something in the search for Horcruxes, now it's 8 years later and Voldemort is still alive. Unfortunately, Harry has no idea how to stop him. But a blind date between Neville Longbottom and Pansy Parkinson can change that. Read and Enjoy :D
1. Nervous

Riven

By: Wonderfall

Chapter One: Nervous

Winter time was Pansy's favorite season. The obvious reasons would be because of the snow and because of Christmas and because of the spirit. In general, it was just a pleasant and lovely time. But this particular year, it was even better. Lord Voldemort was, you could say, in remission. He was weakened too badly to be wrecking havoc like he did eight years ago, when Pansy was in her 7th year at Hogwarts. Right now, he was hiding and he was quiet. Pansy was just so grateful, she didn't want anything to do with him or his group anymore. Everyday she shunned away from thoughts about the Dark Lord.

After the Battle at Hogwarts, Voldemort wasn't dead. Pansy didn't understand what had happened, only knew that after she tried to sell out Harry Potter, she was rushed away from the castle. She only had a vague idea of what happened after she left: Harry Potter _almost _killed him. But he was again, only barely alive, only hanging on by a thread. He wanted to go into hiding and his loyal followers were only _too_ happy to help him. But in one of his rages, several of those followers were murdered.

Pansy's father was one of those unlucky followers. And that was when she changed. Pansy Parkinson was, for all intents and purposes, a much altered person. Such was the usual case. Everything changed. In fact, the only thing that ever truly remained unchanging... was change. These were the thoughts that Pansy was pondering as she sat, alone, in a small tea shop in downtown London .

She fidgeted nervously, something quite unusual for Pansy. She was rarely nervous, or angry. Mostly, she was just sad. But nervous? As it was currently, she could only recall three times previously when she _was_ nervous. Such an emotion rather scared her.

The first time she was nervous was when she was formerly invited to a tea party with her mother and her mother's friends. She was probably around the age of eight years old. It was, at that moment, when she first did wandless magic.

She was a complete and total wreck. The night before, she put out her best and favorite doll dress to air out. She picked out the best of her long, green hair ribbons. She polished her own dress shoes, by hand. She wanted to be positive that everything about her appearance was perfection.

Pansy remembered sitting in front of her vanity mirror and smoothing out wrinkles that didn't exist when she noticed towards the bottom of the dress... a very real wrinkle ruining that image of perfection. She rushed to smooth it out with her fingers, but before she could reach it, an invisible force smoothed it out for her.

Pansy let out a chuckle at the memory and then noticed as a young man walked into the shop, removed his wooly hat from his head and shook off the snow. He looked around, his eyes lingering on her only a second, then he sat down at another table.

_Not him then..._

The memory of the second time Pansy was nervous flooded into her mind. The House Sorting. Her first year at Hogwarts... It was a time when most Hogwart's students were nervous, so consumed with wonderment. What would happen? She remembered praying for Slytherin, praying against the beating that would come from her father if the hat placed her in any other house.

"_Please Slytherin! Please Slytherin!"_ she thought over and over waiting for her mid-alphabet last name to be called. "_Please Slytherin!"_ As her name was finally called, "_Please Slytherin!" _As she walked to the stool in front of everyone, "_Please Slytherin!" _As she sat down, "_Please Slytherin!" _As the hat was placed on her head, "_Please Slytherin!" _And... "SLYTHERIN!" The hat had called out.

Laughing to herself again, Pansy found the memory and the nerves to be so silly. How could she be so anxious of something that was bound to happen? She looked around. _Still not here?_

The third time she was nervous was only a few days ago. Her mother, Denise, was crazy. She came to Pansy's loft and announced that she had set up a blind date for her with the most charming young man she met shopping in Diagon Alley. And that's just the bad part. The worse part is she wouldn't tell Pansy _his_ name and, continuing on with the insanity, she didn't tell the poor bloke _her_ name and all the while her mother was claiming, "If it's meant to be, you'll find each other!"

What an utter load of dragon dung.

But, in an effort to please her mother, Pansy agreed. And that was when the nerves began to roll in. The thing was... well... Pansy didn't date. And the last time she had sex... she cringed... was in 7th year, eight years ago. What a slut she had been during school, sleeping with all those _boys_. But since then... she defiantly didn't date. When you were the girl who wanted to sell out Harry Potter, things didn't work for you like you wanted. Pansy just ran into bad luck.

No, Pansy ran into bad luck all the time, dating or not. Why should she purposely throw in a man to break her heart? Thinking of men, she looked down at her watch. Her mother informed her that he would come around 1:30 or so. The hands were pointing, it was 2:03. She groaned.

_What are the chances, _she thought, putting her head down on the cold table. _That he came in, saw that you were Pansy Parkinson, and just left? Pretty good, I think. Yes, very good chances._

She let out a loud laugh, too loud. Everyone in the shop stopped for a second to see what had made the noisy outburst. After that second, they turned back to what they were previously doing.

Sighing, she stood. Why wait? She threw some gold on the table, disregarding the fact she hadn't drank from her cup at all, and started for the door. But, per usual, bad luck was following Pansy at every corner or maybe it was because she was so distracted by humiliation, but before she could comprehend what had happened, her foot had caught hold on the handle of a briefcase, causing her to trip over and fall down... on her face.

_Ugh, thanks Fate. Thanks a bunch._

A small ache erupted in her wrist and she shut her eyes against it. In the distance she heard the entire place get quiet, a glass shattering, and the swooshing sound of paper in the air. A second later, two very large hands were placed on her shoulders and she was lifted up easily to her feet. She found her footing and lifted her face to thank the man who helped her up. When she met his eyes, she took a step back, away from him. His intense glare literally made her breath catch.

His eyes were... gorgeous. And the glare, however malicious it was, sent a shiver down her spine. Deep blue, so deep it rivaled the oceans, so intense Pansy was finding it hard to breathe. Of course, as the seconds passed, she noticed the glare. It was so... foul... he obviously recognized her, knew her name... _Pansy Parkinson! Pansy Parkinson, I should really change it!!!_

Bad luck. She staggered back as his glare turned into a look of disgust and he muttered a rude sounding, "Sorry" before sitting back down at his table. The embarrassment was too much for Pansy. She swallowed and bolted out the door as quickly as she could.

Her cheeks were forming a deep blush as the humiliation of her life set in. She set off with a brisk walk towards a near by alley way, looking like a safe place to apparate home. Tomorrow, she decided, she was going to yell at her own mother for setting her up on this tragedy.

But not ten seconds had passed before she heard, off in the distance, a fellow calling out "Pansy!" Surely, it wasn't her that someone was seeking? Was it? She didn't honestly want to chance it, but she sneaked a peek over her shoulder anyways. The same man from the tea shop was jogging steadily towards her. _Oh... god!_

"Pansy." He stated once he reached her. "You dropped these." In his hands he held her purse, jacket, and wand. She absently looked at her own hands, expecting the items to be there instead, as if this were some kind of joke. When she realized that her hands were indeed empty, she let out a humorless laugh. What humiliation!

He held out the items in his exceptionally large hands, beckoning her to take them. She muttered out a small, "thanks" and grabbed them, their fingers brushing against one another briefly. She was shocked at the warmth that his skin possessed. She must've been colder than she realized.

"Do you even recognize me?" The man wondered aloud. For the second time, Pansy was forced to look back into his eyes, the purest blue eyes she'd ever seen. She noticed how he had a tanned, rounded face. There was scarring around the eyes, more so around the right eye than the left, and around his nose. He had dark brown hair that framed his face and fluffed out at random places on his head. She let out a slightly sad sigh. He _was_ familiar. But she was saddened by the fact that she couldn't place the name with his face, he was... well... he was _interesting_ to look at.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, and she truly was. She looked away from his face and prepared to leave again, placing her wand in her back jean pocket. But she had a rogue thought. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I'm not really being nice, really. Just... polite."

Pansy nodded, understanding the logic. "I don't deserve it." She whispered and turned to walk away, desperate to be at home in her bed, alone. She was still so shocked by how suddenly embarrassing her day had turned. Looking down, she noticed she was shaking, or shivering. She hugged her jacket and purse to her chest and thought about home.

"Pansy, wait!" The man's face flooded her vision again as he stepped in front of her and stopping her from continuing her walk of shame.

"What do you want?" She spoke it softly and kept her head down, looking at him through her dark bangs. Several moments of silence passed and a serious chill ran the length of her spine. An odd look came over his face, then, dejectedly, that same look of disgust appeared on his face again. It hit her.

She recognized him from the hateful look, and the hateful look alone. Memories of Hogwarts swam in her head, making her feel faint. She remembered the acid words she spoke to him, picking fun of him, of all the people! Why did she have to run into one of them? Her like was complicated enough. "Good bye." She pushed her way passed him and into the dark alley. She leaned against the wall, feeling the rough exterior of the brick, and took a deep breath. She felt.... jittery. His blue eyes were haunting her already.

Again, a few seconds passed and she heard him call out her name. But he walked by the alley way entrance and continued down the street, obviously missing her. Sigh. She started shivering again. It was lightly snowing and she was standing there in a tank top. She snuggled into her jacket and leaned against the wall again.

"I like the cold." She said to no one but herself.

But she shouldn't have spoken so loudly. A few seconds later, he came around the corner and looked directly at her and then he grinned. He leaned against the opposite wall and cross his arms, just looking at her, taking her in. She realized that he wasn't really just looking at her... he was checking her out, no longer glaring.

He stayed like that for a long time, his large blue eyes observing her, taking in everything. His eyes traveled from the tip of her head to her shoes. The look of bitter loathing was gone, only twisted curiosity remained. Her insecurities began to nip at her. She knew she wasn't wearing make up, she had stop toying with that after school ended. She only really wore it when ordered to by her mother. Thinking back to earlier that day, while she was getting ready for her blind date, she decided to forgo the make up all together, some how knowing that the date would end in disaster anyways. (And unfortunately, it did!) She stopped playing with her hair too, no longer buying the expensive shampoos and conditioners or the luxurious bubble bath soaps. She didn't wear perfume, either.

A deeper force made her look down to her attire. A tank, jeans, snickers. Hardly appealing to anyone, let alone the opposite sex. She glanced at her fingernails: uneven, unpainted. There was even a little dirt under one. She probably looked like she rolled out of bed and threw her hair up into a messy bun and walked out of the house. _Did I brush my teeth this morning?_

She looked back up to his heavenly eyes and blushed. She was being checked out for the first time in years! And what did she look like? Like hell. He should have been appalled by the sight of her, yet experience told her exactly what that look in his eyes was: lust.

"Do you recognize me yet?" He asked with a smirk. _Sexy..._

"Yes," she swallowed hard and nodded once, blushing so intensely, she had to look at the ground in front of his feet instead of his face.

"Is...." He started but stopped.

"Is...?" She prompted.

He let out a hardy laugh. "Is your mother Denise?" He asked. She immediately looked back up to his face. What did he just ask? How could he possibly know her mother's name? Pansy just blinked, very unsure of what was going on.

"Yes," she began. "Why?" She blinked again, an inkling of an idea popping into her head... could he be... no!

He just grinned, and it increased her suspicions. He then held on his right hand and said, "Hello. I'm your blind date. Neville Longbottom."

Her first thought was that this was trap. The Order of the Phoenix was still going on strong, led by Harry Potter. Neville Longbottom was surely part of it, wasn't he? But her second thought was that he couldn't have known her mother set her up on a blind date, it was clearly just more bad luck that it happened to be _him._

Her third thought was little more than illogical: "_I'm dreaming."_ She reached over to her arm and pinched herself. _Ouch. Nope, not dreaming._ She shook her head in disbelief.

"No you're not." She defied, but didn't believe her own voice. She was too confused. "Wh-what??" Now she was stuttering. She looked down to his out stretched hand and reached for it, just to make sure he was real.

Neville grasped onto her hand and pulled her forwards, bringing it to his mouth where he gently kissed her knuckles. She gasped at the gesture, not used to that kind of treatment.

When he let go of her hand again, she left it lingering in the air for several moments, quite unsure of herself. For Neville, this was just too funny. He carefully studied her face, noting how her lower lip was slightly apart from the upper lip.

"I'm your date." He repeated with a smile. This was so fun for him.

"My... my date??" Confusion was etched in her face.

"Yes, you know... the date for one o'clock?"

"You're _my_ date?" She did a sort of jump and looked back up to his eyes.

"Yes."

"The one at one o'clock?"

"Yes."

"At the tea shop?"

"Yes!"

"... With me?" Her voice cracked at this part.

"... Yes."

She looked around, bewildered. "You're my date?!"

It was his turn to look at her strangely. Was she always this confused? Then he felt slightly angry at her. "Disappointed, Parkinson?" He mocked her without meaning too, but couldn't stop it from slipping from his mouth viciously.

She actually took a step back away from him. "No-no.... It's not like that." She looked at him like she was in pain. "I'm so sorry." She whispered and looked down towards the ground, seemingly defeated. The action made him feel guilty and when he noticed a few tears escaping from her violet eyes, he felt even worse.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so offensive." He said hoping to sound as defeated as he felt. He stepped forward and placed one hand on her shoulder, hoping it would comfort her. She jumped back at his touch, though. She wiped away her few tears and looked at him.

"No, it's fine. I deserve it. Don't worry about it, Neville." She took a deep breath and reached for her wand.

Neville was shocked. Never before had he heard Pansy speak his name. And it was dazzling. He felt his stomach do a small flip at the very sound of it.

"Look, I'm just going to go home." Pansy stated, sounding almost apologetic.

"Wait." He shook his head of his haze. "What about our date?"

"Our date?" She questioned, giving him another one of her bizarre looks.

"Yes, the one at one o'clock?"

"Neville, I'm fairly certain that if you really wanted to be on this date you would have asked me who my mother was when you walked into the tea shop. But you didn't as much as glance at me. Oh, and also I'm fairly certain you kind of hate me..."

"Well, in my defense, your mother said you would be blonde."

Pansy's jaw dropped and she glared daggers at him. "Excuse me?"

"She really did. She told me to look for a young, blonde woman." Neville's eyes were big as she glared at him.

Taking a steadying breath, she ceased the glower, knowing he didn't have anything to do with her mental mother and her ramblings. "She's been trying to convince me to dye my hair color blonde for a century." She sighed, looking at the ground sadly. _Stupid blondes..._

"Why though?" Neville couldn't help but be curious. He thought back to his meeting with the silly Denise. She was strange and eccentric and talked of nothing but of her sweet, lovely violet flower... he sighed, understanding what that meant now.

"Who knows?" Pansy leaned against the wall, to tired to think of her mother.

They were silent for a long moment before Neville spoke again. "I don't hate you." He was kind and gentle with his words. It caused Pansy to look up and stare into his eyes again.

"I don't believe you."

"Why not?"

"How do I know this isn't a trap? We're not exactly on the same sides here, Neville." His stomach jumped joyously when she spoke his name again.

He looked her over again. He knew, he _knew_ that she wasn't the same as she was in school. She just was not the girl who helped think up "Weasley is Our King" or tortured first years for pleasure. She wasn't that girl who sneered at him, taunted him, called him fat and made fun of his nervous habits. When he looked into her eyes, he saw that she wasn't the pug-faced bully who held up him and his friends at wand point in Umbridge's office in 5th year.

"Voldemort isn't exactly trolling the streets, making life miserable these days. I don't see why we can't have a friendly date." He answered finally. It might've been a leap of faith or just the urge to go out on an actual date, something he hadn't done in so long. He just hoped that she would accept his offer as he held out his hand gingerly.

What Neville didn't understand was that Pansy was a right mess, still reeling from previous humiliation and slightly on edge by the thought she might be led into a trap. She couldn't just trust him, when the history between them was a little overwhelming.

_He might drag you off and rape you for trying to sell out Harry Potter. He might just avada you into tomorrow. He _could _be trying to play some sort of twisted joke on you..._

Pansy couldn't handle anymore embarrassment for the day, she realized as she thought it all over. But when his hand reached out even further and clasped onto hers, she felt a warmth that she hadn't felt in eight long years. And she was won right there; human contact was too unfamiliar to her.

Suddenly, she didn't _care_ if he did drag her off and rape her. Or play that joke on her. If he could just hold her hand for a bit, she would be alright again. He tugged at her hand, and she allowed him to lead her away, out of the dark alley way and back out into the street.


	2. Calm

All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

**Author's Note:** IT'S FLUFFY. You've been warned.

* * *

Chapter Two: Calm

The last time someone of the opposite sex had laid a hand on Pansy was when she was in school. Eight years of isolation had given her a little perspective: she was a slut during school. Happily, she also realized how meaningless it all was and that made it easier to be without someone. But, now Neville Longbottom, someone who Pansy had hated during school purely just for the fun of hating him, had her hand tight in his. And it was wonderful, wholly opposite of meaningless.

Call her crazy, she suspected some kind of magic was afoot.

Frowning slightly, she carelessly recalled a particularly harsh moment during their 7th year, and blushed unpleasantly at the thought of it, when she and several others of her Slytherin group had Neville cornered with a couple of other kids on the fourth floor corridor. Crabbe had the Weasley girl pinned against the wall and Malfoy had another blonde girl at wand point. And she had Longbottom stuck in the very corner, wand directed straight at his throat.

"_Disappointed, _Longbottom_?" She teased. "Caught you this time."_

"_Pansy, you're so hot right now." Draco told her, then, winked horribly. _Ugh, had she really crushed on him back then?

_Grinning, Amycus whispered to her, "Save the Cruciatus Curse for Longbottom."_

_Pansy smirked sadistically then, with twisted enjoyment, she ran her wand from his throat up his jaw line and stopped at his temple. "You never answered my question Longbottom, don't you think that's rude, ignoring a lady?" She jammed the tip of her wand into his head. _

_He only winced, then said, "Only disappointed by how hideous you are. Really, you're very presence will drive me blind, _Parkinson. _You're no lady._" _He then proceeded to spit on her shoes._

"_Oh!!! You miserable blood traitor!!! _Crucio!!"

Pansy shivered violently when she realized one of those scars on his face might have been caused by her hand. She had promised herself after school that she would never again use a wand like that again. Looking up, she stared at the back of his head. What was he going to _do_ to her?

But Neville only led Pansy down the street, looking for a place to sit down and eat an early dinner. He couldn't help but be gentle as he held her hand; he was terrified he might break her because she was shorter than him and entirely too skinny. They didn't speak as they walked. Pansy was too calm, too serene to really argue with him as he led her away without explanation. Neville was too determined to find a decent place.

Finally, he pulled her into a small restaurant, Pansy didn't notice the name. Neville firmly kept her hand in his own hand, and pulled her along with him as a waitress led them to a secluded table in the back of the room. He continued to grip her hand in his while pulling out a chair for her. Pansy sat down in the chair and looked up at him as he held her hand so gently. To an onlooker, it might not have been much, but to Pansy, it was easily the most intimate thing that ever happened to her.

Reluctantly, Neville let go of her hand, causing Pansy to frown slightly, and placed both of his hands on the table. Pansy did the same, putting both of her hands on the table in front of her and then... they just stared at each other.

Again, she found herself staring at his face. It was _interesting_. It was rounded and suntanned, with scarring around his eyes and nose. The lines from the scars were faint, but very much visible. They pronounced his eyes in the most intriguing way, making his gaze seem all that much more intense. She found herself embarrassed, again, to feel herself melting into those eyes. _How cliché! _She thought.

All the while, she really couldn't deny how so blue, so very deep blue his eyes were; it was thrilling. They contrasted dramatically with his dark brown hair; she knew his face would always catch her attention. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. She was on a date after all.

Neville was having the same odd feelings as Pansy. He found he could simply stare at her for a long time without getting bored. She had long, dark colored coils that bounced close to her waist and curly bangs that danced happily on her forehead and framed her face. Her eye lashes were black, thick and surrounded her extraordinary violet colored eyes. He noticed how thin she was, unnaturally thin. And then he noted that she was equally as pale. Still, she was peculiarly pretty, no, she was stunning. He leaned back into his chair and tried to take a steady breath.

Had he seen this in school?

Had she seen this in school?

"Can I get you anything to drink?" A waitress with a small notebook and pen said, appearing out of no where. It caused both Neville and Pansy to jump in their seats.

Neville gestured to Pansy. She looked from him to the waitress and blinked. "Water please." She spoke timidly.

Neville looked at the waitress as well. "Water will be fine." He swallowed.

Regardless of how she knew she should feel -nervous- Pansy felt peaceful sitting at the table with Neville and smiled. "Why did you want to continue with our date?" And immediately, they fell into a comfortable conversation.

Neville licked his lips and swallowed again. Then he said, "Anyone related to Denise, ahem, Parkinson... had to be worth a date for."

"My mother really rubbed off on you that much?" Pansy was relaxing already and put her hand in her hair and leaned against her arm.

"Pretty much, she followed me around for an hour just, well, talking." They both laughed a little.

"That sounds exactly like my mother. She just... talks. There's usually no point or profound statement. She just talks. There's no boundary between her brain and her mouth." Again, they both laughed.

"She kept saying to me that she had the most precious violet flower that needed a strong man to look after her." Neville said slowly and dramatically, eying her curiously.

She kept eye level with him and then said, "She says that a lot to me, too."

"But, between you and me, I seriously thought she needed someone to look after her plants for her." Neville laughed.

Pansy leaned back in her chair, allowed her head to tilt back and she let out a big laugh. "Really? Why?"

"I own a couple of greenhouses," He started. "And, well, some of my friends usually come to me for gardening help, or, rather they usually give me their dying plants."

"That sounds like something I would do..." She blushed. "All my house plants died." Pansy admitted.

"Did you water them?"

"No." She shook her head and they both laughed again.

They smiled at each other and an unusual feeling Pansy couldn't recall ever feeling before settled over her stomach.

"Is that your job, then?" She wondered aloud.

"No," he said. He looked down and smiled. "It's my hobby."

"Hobby?"

"Yea, you know that thing people do in their spare time, something they are interested in?"

"Yes. I know that. But owning greenhouses is your hobby?"

"Truthfully, I just love to collect plants. I love to garden." He spoke serenely, his face unperturbed. "It's the most relaxing feeling."

"I don't really have a hobby." Pansy frowned. "Well, I guess reading is my hobby."

"What do you read?" Neville asked. Pansy's eyes wondered a little to the right, searching for an answer.

"Everything." She whispered after a second. The waitress walked up to their table and placed two tall glasses of iced water in front of them.

"Are you ready to order?" She seemed bored.

"I don't want anything to eat." Pansy confessed.

"Me either then." Neville agreed with her.

The waitress clicked her tongue against her teeth and walked away without another word.

"I wish I had picked up the habit of reading during school..." Pansy trailed off. "Actually, there are a lot of things I wish I did in school that I didn't." She looked up at him suddenly and gave him a severe look. " Lot of things I wish I didn't do that I did..."

They were silent for a long moment, gazing at each other, not uncomfortably.

"So, where _do_ you work then?" She asked, changing the subject.

"I'm an Auror." His answer alarmed her.

"So this is a trap?" Pansy felt her heart drop. "Look, I don't know anything and I'm-" she started.

"Whoa, no, no." Neville interrupted, holding up his hands and furrowing his brows. "No trap."

Pansy sighed and looked down at her hands. "You expect me to believe that." She sounded sad, Neville found. "You're an Auror and you're most likely in the Order of the Phoenix ... how is this not a trap?"

"Because I was just walking down Diagon Alley the other day when a woman with dark hair _ambushed_ me and set me up on a date with her daughter." He stated forcefully.

She took a steadying breath and stood up. "It's risky, I'm considered a bad guy in your world, Neville."

"I hunt down bad guys, Pansy. My definition of a bad guy is someone who weighs more than 75 pounds." He crossed his big arms again.

Pansy wanted to glare, but couldn't help herself when the giggles came out. She laughed even harder when she realized, sadly, that this was the most she'd laughed in eight years. She fell back into her chair and laughed. She laughed until tears came out of her eyes and she banged her fists on the table. She was attracting attention again; the few people who were sitting around the room stopped conversation and looked in her direction.

"...Pansy?" Neville asked, somewhat scared. She put her head down on the table and tried to secure her breathing. Deep breath. Deep breath.

"I weigh more than 75 pounds, Neville. Therefore, I'm a bad guy- by definition!" She sat up and wiped her eyes. He just stared at her. "I haven't laughed that much in a long time."

"Why?" Neville felt his heart flutter. He wanted to make her laugh like that all the time.

"I don't know, the only person I really talk to anymore is my mother." Her smile disappearing.

Neville didn't know how to respond. He had his Grandmother, plus his friends at work, plus the Order... he couldn't imagine being secluded like that. "What if you _were_ my assignment?" He wondered suddenly.

Her eyes hardened for a second before she said, "I'd probably tell you to take me in."

"Maybe you should prove to me that you're not a bad guy then." This time, she did glare. She practically ripped off her jacket and threw it at his face.

"Here, right here. I knew you wanted to see it." She held out her left arm for him to see. He removed the black jacket and looked down at the arm. Then she stood up and grabbed the jacket from him and started to walk away.

After a delicate moment she turned back around and pointed at him. "I'm impressed with you, ya know!"

"Really?" Neville questioned, standing up to face her.

"Yes, because you've made me cry today. You've made me laugh today. And now, you've made me mad when I haven't felt any of those for EIGHT YEARS!" She pushed him back into his chair and stalked out of the restaurant.

Neville looked around at the rest of the people and nodded. "Yea, she wants me." He got up from the chair again and walked out of the restaurant, ignoring the strange looks he was getting. He emerged out onto the street and looked around. She was marching away a little down the street. "Pansy!"

She didn't stop, instead picking up her pace. Even from behind, she looked livid. Sighing, he broke out into a run and caught up with her in a couple of strides. "Pansy, wait please."

"Go away, Longbottom." She sneered.

"Don't call me by my last name." He spoke viciously, grabbing onto her right arm. The tone of his voice shocked Pansy, which ultimately caused her to turn and look at him.

"Well, _Neville_, you are the one who caused me to promise myself I would never use my wand to harm other's and now you are the one who might just force me to break it!" She reached into her pocket with her left hand and pulled out her wand awkwardly.

"I didn't care to see your arm, Pansy. I know you don't have a mark." He practically shouted out. Pansy was about to retort when he slid his hand down her arm and captured her hand, again.

All her anger softened automatically and there was nothing except for him and her, on their date. _How does he do that?_ She wondered.

"Come with me." He said.

"Okay." She replied timidly. _Why did I just say okay?_

She put away her wand and he, again, led her away. They walked along the sidewalk for a minute before he pulled her into a darkened alley way and pressed her against the brick wall, his body against hers, and she thought, _How could I ever be angry with him?_

She had the notion that he was about to kiss her and she wondered how good it would taste, how nice it would feel, how different would it be? But it all went away when she felt the familiar tug of a side along apparition. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she was assaulted with green. There were three things around her: trees, which were covered in a green moss, grass, which was superbly green, and four very large, very green... greenhouses. The sun was above them and it was bathing everything in its golden glimmer.

"Ohh..." Pansy was absolutely mesmerized by the sight. Still holding hands, Neville smiled at her and then led her towards one of the houses. "Where-where are we?"

His smile widened. "I can't tell you that, for then I would have to kill you." He opened up the door to the first house and motioned her inside. She looked into his eyes for a moment and found that she trusted him. So she stepped inside.

She had to shrug out of her jacket, for it was too warm in the house, which he took from her automatically. Blink. Blink. It wasn't just a greenhouse. It looked like a Garden Fairyland. It took her breath away. Colors, everything was draped with the entirety of the rainbow. It smelled so wonderful, Pansy felt light headed. Flowers were overlapping flowers while giant trees stood in the background and a path of pebbles circled around the garden. It was enchanting.

"Wow...." Pansy whispered.

"Thank you. I try."

"Wow...."

"I have to keep it perfect because I bring all my girlfriends here." Neville joked, leaning his head to look at her.

"Oh." She said disappointedly, then realizing he was joking around with her, she joined in. "Am I your girlfriend now?" She asked, turning her head to look at him.

He returned the look and then said, "Yes." She wasn't sure if he was teasing now.

"But we haven't even kissed yet." She gasped inwardly when she realized she was _flirting_ with him. She blamed the fact that they were still holding hands. He just smiled, though. Then he lifted her hand above her head and spun her slowly around and when she was facing him again, he placed her hand on the back of his head and leaned in and captured her lips and held them hostage with his own. It was the most innocent, yet most passionate kiss she'd ever shared with anyone.

She felt like singing, she felt like laughing, she felt like crying, she felt like floating. Every good thing that ever happened to her didn't compare to the wondrous moment she was experiencing, like it all bubbled happily in her stomach and erupted into her body, spreading warmth and joy to each and every thread that made her. Her lips were on his soft, splendid lips, partly open and damp.

Was he under the same magic she was, like they had no past? There was no hate here in Neville's greenhouse, only the astonishing perfection that was this kiss, this feeling.

His other arm wrapped blissfully around her waist and pulled her closer. Again, the unusual feeling that was unfamiliar to Pansy poured into her stomach and she was alarmed by its presence, so she pulled away, breaking off the kiss abruptly. Neville looked dazed for a minute before his arms dropped down to his sides and he looked at her.

"Uh er... um..." She shook her head lightly and her eyes refocused. "What kind of flowers are these?" She asked, not looking at the flowers she gestured to, and took a couple of steps away from him.

He looked at her, eyes wide. Then he looked down and after a moment he smiled a wide smile showing off his white teeth. Looking back at her, he said, "Those are pansies, Pansy."

She repeated his previous action: she stared at him for a second before looking down at the violet colored flowers. "Ohhh..."

And then, he took one long stride towards her and engulfed her with his arms and his lips were on hers again and she was experiencing the best kiss for the second time.

_He's cast a spell on me._ She thought. _Oh well..._


	3. I Snogged Pansy Parkinson

Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

Chapter 3: I Snogged Pansy Parkinson

When Neville was 15 years old, Hermione Granger changed his life entirely. A lot of people could say that Hermione Granger changed their life, in fact. Ron Weasley was one of them- she married the lucky bastard. While tons of people could say Harry Potter saved their lives time and time and time again, Harry swore that Hermione was really the hero behind it all.

Neville believed it.

Luna Lovegood, a great friend of Neville's, swore that her life was fully indebted to Hermione because she was the one who killed Alecto Carrow, who at the time had Luna at wand point. That was one of the harder captures of Death Eaters after the battle at Hogwarts.

Neville was one of the many people who could say Hermione had changed his life, saved it even. For him, it wasn't because she married him or saved him from impending danger; it was simply something she said that helped him out, a lot. He reflected on what had happened that January as he strode causally down a small sidewalk.

_Neville sat down on the floor in the Room of Requirement and tried to calm himself. He just read that morning that Bellatrix Lestrange had escaped from Azkaban along with several other Death Eaters and it was one of the worst days of his life. He had fought back tears all day since he had read the Daily Prophet. That was when Hermione walked in with a pile of books and rolls of parchment._

"_Neville," She cried out in greeting. "What are you doing in here? Are you okay? What's wrong with your eyes? What do you have in your hand? Will you help me out here?" She spun off questions quickly._

_He just grinned nervously and helped her carry her books in. After she was settled at the table in the corner of the room, Neville made to exit and leave her to her books. She had said, "Neville did what we found today in the Prophet upset you?" _

_It shouldn't have shocked him by how observant she was. It was usually, well, usual. He turned around and looked at her and answered truthfully. "Yes, it did." _

_Then she patted the cushion next to her and he sat down without question. "Tell me why, if you don't mind." _

"_I just don't like Bellatrix Lestrange is all." He answered and closed his eyes, picturing the nightmare that had haunted him for a long time now._

_Hermione was silent for a little bit, her tongue was clicking against her teeth as she thought. "Neville... what happened to your parents?" She asked tenderly._

_Neville let out a laugh. "Remember that do you?" _

"_Your parents are in St. Mungo's? Yes, I remember. I never wanted to ask, I wanted you to trust me enough to tell me yourself." _

"_Bellatrix Lestrange tortured them into insanity." He leaned back and sighed a sigh mixed with anger and satisfaction. He had never said that out loud before._

_Hermione didn't respond; instead, she put her hand on his and it stayed there while she picked up a book and read. Neville guessed it was half an hour of silence later when Hermione put her book down and looked at him._

"_Neville, I want you to know that I'll always be your friend and that Bellatrix Lestrange deserves your hate. But I also want you to realize that if you spend all your time hating her, you won't have anytime to love the things you have." She smiled at him and held his hand firmly. "Just remember, Neville, some people you should never forget or forgive, and others you should. Don't cloud yourself."_

_Neville looked up at the blue ceiling and said, "I'm not sure what that means, Hermione. But thank you." _

Hermione had told Neville that some people he should never forget or forgive and others he should. He would never forgive Bellatrix Lestrange and was only sorry that Molly Weasley got to her first. But it was because of what Hermione told him, advised him, that he was able to forgive _himself._ He wondered about Pansy. He knew that on some level, he had already forgiven her, too.

Neville walked down the small sidewalk and then looked up at what he considered his second home: Hazleton Haunt. It was a humble abode, despite the name, and the current headquarters for the Order of Phoenix and Neville was the secret keeper. It was also the home of Harry and Ginny Potter. It stood on a hill surrounded by trees that seemed to shift around the house, covering it with its leaves. He walked up the winded path made of weathered stones and pebbles and then knocked four times on the upper panel of the door, loud and hard, with his knuckles.

The door shimmered for a second before disappearing totally. He stepped into the small front room. It was a very small room that was only big enough for one person to fit in. It had no doors or windows and was completely blank. He stated loudly, "Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter is the savior of my memory." The door behind him solidified and then the wall in front of him shimmered similarly to the front door and then disappeared altogether.

In front of him was another small yet long room, but this room was warmer and homely. The familiar umbrella stand was sitting happily by the door on one side. On the other side of the door was a small side table with a bowl full of odd objects in it. The walls were a warm yellow color and abundantly covered with pictures, all moving around and cheerful. There was a set of white wooden stairs on his right that led upstairs.

Neville walked passed those stairs and down the hallway and emerged into the kitchen. It was the largest room in the house. It was colored a light orange and had a tall ceiling. There was a line of cabinets, a stone oven, and an old fashioned ice box on the far side of the wall. Windows lined two of the four walls from floor to ceiling and a door that led to the backyard was on his left. There was a huge table in the middle of the room, rectangular and also wooden. It could hold over forty people, Neville knew from experience. The wall to his right sported an island with more odd objects on it and many more photographs.

"Now what is going in here?" He asked joyfully as he looked around the kitchen table. There was a chorus of cheers and greetings as people stood up from their dinner to hug him. The first person to hug him was the youngest of Bill and Fleur's children: Beccalynn. She jumped into his arms and he held her easily with one arm. Next was Teddy Lupin who attached himself to Neville's hip. One of his best friends, Ginny, walked up next to him with Harry. She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek and gave him a half armed hug. Harry pounded him on the shoulder with his hand and said, "Hey man, welcome to dinner."

Bill and Fleur were still sitting on one side of the table. Across from them were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and going around the table were the rest of the Weasley's. And in front of him was his other best friend: Luna Lovegood.

She stood up gracefully, her incredible long blond hair dipped down to below her knees, and then kissed both his cheeks and then his forehead. "Neville, welcome to dinner. I brought rolls blessed by nargles." She spoke mystically, smiled at him, and then sat back down into her chair.

Hermione and Ron were sitting on the far side of the table obviously bickering about something. He noticed Hermione give him a small smile before she promptly slapped Ron on the head.

"Hey everyone." Neville smiled down at Beccalynn and then back up to Harry. "I didn't mean to interrupt dinner." There was a collection of 'No!'s and 'Not a problem!'s, as expected. You couldn't interrupt dinner at the Potter's house.

He was pulled into a chair before he could say another word and a plate full of food was placed in front of him before the minute was over. He looked around the table starting from his right: Beccalynn, Victorie, Bill, Fleur, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Percy, George, Teddy, and then Luna was on his left. He loved them all. Yes, even Percy. He watched as they joked around and ate, as they laughed until they cried; they were a family and Neville felt very much a part of that family.

"Alright, who made these mashed potatoes?" George asked standing up and holding a bowl full of the white, fluffy substance. Everyone else silenced and watched him with interest and grins. What was Georgie up to _now_?

"That would be me." Ginny answered royally, also standing. "In fact, I made this whole meal!" She announced, bowing low as everyone clapped and laughed joyously.

"Well. I only have one more thing to say then." George continued, grinning wickedly. "These are not only the best mashed potatoes I've ever had, but my guess, and I always guess right, is that they would be even better if you... WORE THEM!" He shouted and threw the mashed potatoes right at Ginny. They completely covered her head, face, and neck.

Everyone started laughing with wide eyes and happy faces. Harry stood up next and kissed Ginny's cheek, taking in a mouthful of the mashed potatoes and then swallowing. "He's right. They are better when Ginny's wearing it!" And then everyone started laughing even harder and throwing food.

A couple of hours later, Teddy, Victorie, and Beccalynn were sleeping and everyone else was sitting around and chatting.

"I just need more grandchildren, Hermione." Mrs. Weasley was complaining again, for the millionth time this month, er no, this week.... day? Hour?

"I'll consider it." Hermione grinned, sipping from her glass while Ron groaned pathetically.

Mrs. Weasley looked hopefully towards Harry and Ginny. "Pleeeeeease?"

At her request, Harry blushed and Ginny glared. "Don't even go there, Mum."

Everyone laughed a little. Mrs. Weasley's glance went to where George and Percy were sitting. They both shook their heads. "Mother really-" Percy shook his head again and then looked away awkwardly.

"I need to find slave-WOMAN! I mean woman- first mum!" George exclaimed, giggling hysterically. And Percy said something about how children scare him.

That was when Mrs. Weasley turned onto Neville. "Neville, darling, when are you going to get married and have children?" All eyes turned onto him, most of them filled with humor. He saw Ron and Harry discretely high five behind Hermione's back. He glared at them playfully.

"I'll consider it." He copied from Hermione. His mind's eye flashed briefly to Pansy standing at her doorstep and small smile gracing her beautiful face. He would definitely consider _her._

"Ohhh I want more grandchildren." Mrs. Weasley said happily and leaned against her husband.

"Walk down the line, dear. Charlie next. Then Percy." Mr. Weasley replied.

Percy moaned.

"Then the other children. After that, then you can hound people who aren't part of the family to get married and have children." Mr. Weasley laughed looking at Neville.

"It's okay Mrs. Weasley," Luna began. "Neville had a date today." Neville blanched. Her words were his bane. Everyone was looking at him curiously now.

"Luna, do you remember when I said not to mention that?" He asked giving her a hard stare. Of course, he couldn't be mad at her, he never could. But the statement brought out the questioning.

"With who?"

"What kind of _date_?"

"Did you score?" That particular question was followed by a slap.

"Was she hot?"

"What did you do?"

"Did you give her flowers?"

Neville just shook his head, mouth firmly shut. He didn't want to hide Pansy, he just didn't want to admit he was dating again.

"Neville," Ginny started, smiling wildly. "Who is it?"

There was one thing he had to consider. Was Pansy the kind of girl who would be upset if he hid her from his friends? Either way, these people were most likely going to get the truth out of him. So he stuck with honesty is the best policy and told the truth, "I snogged Pansy Parkinson."

It was a bit blunt, but true.

...

There was complete silence and many things happened at once. Ron looked like he was going to be sick. Harry looked confused. Hermione looked worried. Ginny looked livid. He looked over to Luna; she looked, well, like she normally looked, amused and delighted.

But Ginny was the first to speak. "Are you kidding us Neville? It's a joke, right. Haha... ha?"

"Oh, no not at all. I snogged her good." He replied, crossing his arms and biting down on his lip.

"Oh stop. Make it stop. I'm going to be sick." Ron said exaggerating, making a gagging sign.

Luna started humming something that sounded a lot like "Weasley is Our King" and Ron groaned again.

"It's not that bad." Neville insisted, nodding slightly.

"Not that bad?" Ginny repeated, looking wild. "Do you-do...I...." Her face started going red as she looked for the words she wanted to say.

"Ginny," Harry said, grabbing onto her arm. "Ginny, breathe. Take a breath."

She did more than that though. She slammed her hands on the table and stood up. "Parkinson!? Do you remember what she _did_ to you?!" She spat at him.

"Are you talking about Bernard Parkinson's daughter?" Mr. Weasley asked slowly, the look on his face showed him to be deep in thought.

"I don't know what her father's name is." Neville stated. "Her mother's name is Denise though." He added after a second. "She set us up on a blind date."

"You knew who she was and you still went on the date?" Ginny questioned, still furious.

"Actually no, her mum's kind of crazy. She didn't tell me who her daughter was." Neville shrugged. He noticed that Hermione was now biting her lip and Ginny was getting angrier by the second.

"He's under the Imperius!" Ginny said shaking Harry. "Harrrry!!"

"I'm not under the Imperius curse, Gin." Neville said, finally standing up. "I did this on my own free will."

"Did you... did you use it on _her?" _Hermione asked quietly. Everyone turned to look at her and Neville felt like slapping his forehead. He _did_ slap his forehead.

"Are you serious?"

"It might be a trap." Harry's statement caused the conversation to shift from the friendly chat they were having to Order meeting.

"I'm going to be sick."

"Her father was a Death Eater."

"Her father was killed by Voldemort."

"She wanted to sell out Harry!"

"She tortured Neville in our 6th year! Luna and I were forced to watch!"

"I'm going to be sick."

"This is definitely a trap. Using him to get to us, maybe Voldemort is back in England ..."

"She's Slytherin, a vile Slytherin that tormented us in school, Neville!"

"SHE WANTED TO SELL OUT HARRY!"

"She doesn't have the mark though...." Harry spoke softly, in deep thought. His statement caused everyone else to shut up and look at him.

"Guys!" Neville shouted kindly. "Stop. Freaking. Out."

"Freaking out?" Ginny repeated. "It's Pansy Parkinson!"

"I said I snogged her, I didn't say I was marrying her." He shouted back at her.

"IT'S THE SAME THING." She screamed at him, being irrational.

Everyone turned to look at her, all with weird looks.

"So, I married Pansy by snogging her?" Neville asked, grinning.

"Well, no. I just didn't have anything better to come back with." Ginny sat back down in her chair and looked down. "I still don't see how you could even associate yourself with her after what she's done to you."

"Yeah, eight years ago. She's not even dangerous." Neville argued thinking back to when she pulled out her wand on him: she had been holding it backwards. The thought caused him to laugh out loud when in turn caused everyone to look back at him.

He coughed and said, "Sorry."

"Ohh, I'm going to be sick." Ron groaned again and leaned over in his chair.

"Ronald!" Hermione cried. "Grow up, honestly. We have a lot of important things to discuss!"

"Honestly, woman! How many times do you say that to me daily? 10? 20? 100 times. Does it ever work? No. Maybe you should give up!"

"No I will not! I refused to be married to an immature _child_!"

"I'm not a child!"

"Could've fooled me!"

"It's _Pansy Parkinson_! Do you remember what she looks like? She's a pug faced fat slut!" While he was clearly speaking to Hermione, Neville felt enraged. He had found the conversation to be hilarious- up to this point.

"Don't say things like that, Ron." He banged his fists on the table and glared painfully at his friend.

"Alright!" Harry shouted finally, standing up. The look on his face told Neville he was worried about him. Neville never got angry. Ever. "Neville, sit down man. Ron, stop with the name calling it's not going to get us anywhere. Ginny, relax please." He added noticing the beetish red tint of her face and her uneven breathing. "She- Pansy isn't a threat."

"It's not even about that, Harry." Ginny interrupted, looking up at him. "It's not about the fact that she's probably working for Death Eaters or she's a _Slytherin_. It's about her as a person, about what she's done." She ended by glaring at Neville.

"She's picked on every one of us during school." Hermione pointed out.

"She's spoiled and self-centered."

"She evil, Neville. Evil."

"She's not like that anymore." Neville argued calmly.

"How would you know, you've only snogged her. Not married her, remember?" Ginny was still glaring at him.

He felt bitter. He realized he didn't know Pansy Parkinson, but she wasn't what she used to be. And that made him feel the way he did. Bitter. As much as he loved these people, he had to leave. As he stepped out behind his chair, a sound argument came to his mind.

"Not all Slytherin's are that bad." He said looking directly at Harry. "How many times did you curse Snape for being the git he was, and how many times have you regretted it since his death? What about Draco Malfoy? Theodore Nott?" He sighed and walked towards the door. Leaning his arm against the side of the frame he said, "It's been eight years since we got out of school. I'll see you guys Saturday." And left.

Neville didn't forget, but he forgave.

* * *

**Author's Note: Dramamamamamama. I eat it for breakfast. Well, actually I ate eggs for breakfast this morning. Well that's not really the point... So, who here likes Pansy? I do. Everyone has a soul. Why don't you leave me a pretty review and I'll get to work on chapter 4. Mmm drama. (CHOMP)**


	4. Sorrow

Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

Chapter 4: Sorrow

Pansy leaned against her doorway and felt her body squish her hair against the wall. She was confused and she felt herself growing older by the second. Neville Longbottom had just agreed to, paid for, and walked her home from a date.

Pansy had gone on a date. It couldn't have been anything other than a date. A real one. The only one. In eight years.

Eight years... Pansy's head suddenly started throbbing at the idea, the very concept that Pansy Parkinson might actually have a good day.

She looked around her loft.

Pansy had just gone on a date. She blinked. A date. "Wow..." She took a deep breath, partly to calm her head and partly to calm her stomach. It flipped a couple of times per minute.

And it hit her like a stick, she had a migraine and she knew immediately it was because she was actually enjoying herself.

She shouldn't have gone on a date.

She shouldn't have gone on a date with Neville Longbottom. My, oh my, things had changed. The feeling her stomach intensified, even though she stood alone. Eight years and she felt like a virgin again.

After hooking her jacket up by her front door, Pansy realized something else. It was the first time she had been out of her lonely home in a couple of weeks. And it felt great and horrible at the same time. She looked down at her hands; they were trembling. Was she cold? No, not this time. This was something new; this was the feeling in her stomach.

She walked towards her kitchen and set her wand down on the banister of the stairs that led up to her room.

As she sat down on her small, rounded kitchen table her head exploded and she couldn't stop herself from remembering.

_Pansy walked into the Study where her mother could usually be found reading or drawing. The high walls were dark, yet inviting; the far east wall gave giant windows with dark, earthy brown curtains. Pansy's mother, Denise, sat on the navy blue sofa couch with an easel, using her wand to paint in different hues. _

_Pansy cleared her throat to announce her presence._ _She __gracefully walked further into the study, her expensive lilac robes flowing behind her, and she sat down on the love seat directly in front of her mother. For a long time, she didn't say anything, just sat and enjoyed the simple moment the two were sharing, a rare moment for Pansy._

_Then, she greeted Denise shyly. "Mother, how are you today?"_

"_Pansy darling, I'm just lovely. I've just spoken to your father, he's -ahem- working at the moment. But he should be home by the time Bitzy finishes dinner. Do you have any plans for this evening?" She asked gently, yet clearly, not looking up._

"_No mother. I have no plans." Pansy answered and bit down on her lip. Hogwarts was destroyed; it had been a couple of days since Pansy had been rushed away. It was only this morning when..._

"_I just wanted to show you something." Pansy bit back her tears, it was considered rude to cry in the company of others. Steadying her hands, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the Daily Prophet. She handed it over to her mother. _

_The page Pansy had read and reread several times was crumbling on the corners, but the text was as clear as day. Denise read it quickly, her expression remaining the same. After finishing, she smoothly folded the paper properly and set it down on the small coffee table in front of her. "Is this true?"_

_Pansy put her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. After taking three deep breaths, she timidly said, "No! You can pour truthfulness potion down my throat, force the memory out of mind into a pensive, I promise you. It's a lie." Her voice squeaked on the last word. _

_Denise stood from her seat, but before she could say anymore on the matter, Yaxley rushed into the room, panting harshly. _

"_Mrs. Parkinson! Your... husband... needs help, now. Come.... quickly!" He pushed out before turning and rushing away. Pansy and Denise followed after him quickly, but not before Denise knocked the coffee table over on its side, a leg breaking off. The Daily Prophet flew into the air. As Pansy closed the door behind her, rushing off to her father, the Daily Prophet floated down to the ground, landing on a page that was crumbled and rippled. Face up, as clear as day, were the words, "Lavender Brown Tells All! The story about what really happened that fateful night at Hogwart's three days ago! Article Written By Rita Skeeter." _

Pansy woke with a start. She looked around her familiar, yet cold bedroom and blinked several times before coming to the conclusion that it was, once again, just a nightmare. A memory of what happened many years ago. Of course, it was Pansy's luck that she would have said nightmare after having a wonderful day, the first wonderful day in many days.

It had been a couple of days after Voldemort had attacked the castle, after Harry Potter had weakened him again. Her father had been killed and her face had been printed in the paper as a Death Eater who sold Harry Potter out. She shook out her jitters and curled back into her covers. She guessed that meeting with Neville had caused memories to stir, memories of that life she once had. A life before her mother had gone crazy at the sight of her dead husband and Pansy had been plastered as the traitor among Hogwarts. She stood up from her bed and focused entirely on breathing. She looked over to her dresser and sighed. _Might as well..._

With incredible courage, she took the smallest steps she could until she reached her dresser. She kneeled down and opened the bottom drawer. In the drawer was her life: a photograph of her mother and father during their happier time, one of her and Draco Malfoy from a lifetime ago, a broken mirror that didn't show her reflection, several books, an old necklace, and many papers amongst other things. All of it, important and priceless to her, all of it made her happy.

Except for one piece of paper. She pulled out the paper, crumbled and frayed at the edges, the yellow of the paper dull and worn, but the words we as clear as day.

_It's with great pleasure that this reporter gets to dish out the information on a tragic event that occurred at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry just two nights ago._

_Eye witness accounts tell me that many are dead, hundreds are injured, the school most of us attended in our youth is destroyed, the Minister of Magic is dead and stable sources say he was under the Imperius, and what else? Harry Potter showed up three nights ago at Hogwart's with his partners in crime Ronald Weasley and Muggle-Born Hermione Granger. Together, they rallied up able bodies and evacuated as much of the school as possible before facing off with none other than He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named._

"_It was awful," the young witch Lavender Brown confessed to me, Rita Skeeter. "There were bodies everywhere, some of them friends I had at Hogwarts. Some of them were parents of people I had gone to class with! And the screaming was like a nightmare, Rita." This was the first of many gruesome and horrible descriptions Ms. Lavender Brown was able to provide for me about the event that took place._

_What exactly happened?_

_Who was involved?_

_Who are the deceased?  
_

_And what did the legendary Harry Potter have to do with it?_

_While our sometimes questionable hero could not be reached for questioning, I, Rita Skeeter, was able to get first hand, detailed accounts of the events that occurred. Ms. Lavender Brown started off with this: "The teachers woke up all of us, you know, the students, first. No one really knew what was going on. Next, we all went into the Great Hall. A lot of the younger students were really scared. After everyone had gotten to the Great Hall, we heard him. You know, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He must've been in the forest or something, his voice echoed across the grounds. It was terrifying. He told us that we had one hour to surrender Harry Potter to him, and we would all live."_

_I asked her, "What were you thinking in that moment?"_

"_Well, of course, I was scared. And I was thinking that Harry Potter didn't even come to school that year. He was known for breaking the rules and following his own paths, I really wasn't surprised that he didn't show up for our last year." _

"_What happened next?"_

"_Oh, that was when it got really interesting, if you know what I mean. Professor McGonagall was telling us that they had a way to evacuate the school before most could get hurt but that was when Harry entered the hallway. And I was thinking 'Wow! It's Harry! He's here to save us.' And then the worst thing happened. I always knew there was something up with that Parkinson girl, at that moment, she stood up and pointed her wand at Harry, telling him to turn himself in or else she would do it for him. And that's when she flashed her mark for everyone to see. It was so scary!"_

_Maybe you don't know of the girl Ms. Brown speaks of. It was none other than Pansy Parkinson, daughter of known Death Eater Bernard Parkinson and his wife Denise Parkinson. Something else the public is soundly unaware of, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named accepts very few females into his inner circle, branding them with the dreaded mark. For a 17 year old witch to be branded would mean serious dedication to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's cause and serious wand skill._

_Pansy Parkinson, whose whereabouts are unknown, would have had done major planning for years to infiltrate __Hogwarts, a school which has been proclaimed the safest place in Britain on multiple occasions. _

"_It's not hard to put the pieces together." Ms. Brown assures me. "Me and Parvati overheard Ginny Weasley, girlfriend of Harry Potter, saying that Harry was forced to come to Hogwarts that night because someone had tipped off He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, when in reality Harry wasn't ready to do whatever it was that he had to do."_

_What did our Hero have to do? It had been rumored for years now, ever since He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named returned to our world, that Albus Dumbledore (deceased as of last June- Read more about the life of Albus Dumbledore in my biography of Albus Dumbledore called The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore) had been working on a plan for total eradication and that happened to include the young and reckless Harry Potter. _

_What was the plan? While no one knows, we can easily conclude that Harry's plan was cut short by the Death Eater that had the inside information in Hogwarts: Pansy Parkinson. _

"_I guess we got lucky though." Ms. Brown goes on. "Harry came and did _something _to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, because he's gone again, right?"_

_Indeed, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is again gone, by the hands of Harry Potter who has managed to escape death for a second time. But is he gone for good?_

_The questions are stacking up, where do the answers lay? Harry Potter had a plan to kill off He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but if his plans were cut short, then does he still have work to do? Is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named still out there? My sources say yes. He is still out there, only weakened once again._

_Ms. Brown states, "I just wish Parkinson didn't sell out Harry, if only he had been able defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named for good. I don't even want to imagine what it's going to be like in the next few months or even years..."_

_But how much more can the Magical Community take? Living in fear until He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named rises again? Until He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named takes over the Ministry again? How long before everything repeats itself and we all feel the fear and pain of an evil wizard again?_

_And what insight from Ms. Brown, if Pansy Parkinson hadn't sold out our Hero Harry, would He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named be gone for good? If we live in fear again, scared for our families, questioning a government and its actions, clueless as to what to do in such a dire situation, who are we to blame? Clearly, Parkinson has some part in this. Her actions have cost us more time, living in a world with a man we all loathe and fear._

_The Battle of Hogwart's will be one that goes down in history, a battle that signified an almost deadly blow to both sides, good and dark. While everyone tried to pick up the pieces of what's left, one reporter can't help but ask one question: Where is Pansy Parkinson? _

She fell back from her sitting position and found comfort on her hard floor. "Where am I?" She wondered out loud, wiping the tears from her face. "What happened to me?"

How many more times would Pansy cry over this article and how many more times would she ask those questions to herself. She used to be witty and snarky, now she was shy and timid and powerless in a world where she has been exiled.

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Author's Note: Yea, well I had two chapters written for this story but it went poof. You can read more about that on my profile. As for this chapter, it's a bit shorter than the first three but it answers some questions and provides a whole lot more. Next chapter: more Neville and Pansy action more answers and more questions! Ya... you like it :P


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